Fish Lake
Jackson County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Fish Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- 32 ft max depth
- Public access
Fish Lake in Jackson County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 45.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.1 µg/L.
Fish Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Jackson County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 32 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Jackson County, Fish Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Fish Lake has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Fish Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Fish Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Fish Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Fish Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Fish Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Fish Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft. Phosphorus 45.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13.1 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 45.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13.1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Fish Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Fish Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in Apr (about 52°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (52°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 402 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Fish Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Fish Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was very high (1,018,591 cells/mL) on July 18, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Fish Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Public Water Access Sites — Fish (Main Lake)Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
~32 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Fish Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
376 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
5.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,378 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Fish LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Fish Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Fish Lake in Jackson County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Fish Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Fish Lake’s readings
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Fishing Fish Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+4 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-1.9 µg/L/yr2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Fish Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN32-0018-03 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Jackson County
Frequently asked questions about Fish Lake
Where is Fish Lake?
- Fish Lake is a lake in Jackson County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Fish Lake?
- Fish Lake in Jackson County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 45.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.1 µg/L.
Is Fish Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Fish Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Fish Lake?
- Fish Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October, from 402 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Fish Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Fish Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 32 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Does Fish Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Fish Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was very high (1,018,591 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Fish Lake?
- Fish Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Fish Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Fish Lake?
- Fish Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Fish Lake across LakeQuality
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Jackson County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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State Parks Near Fish Lake
Other Lakes in Minnesota
Eutrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Where this data comes from
536 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA536 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory